Blake Lively And Justin Baldoni's Unending Battle Slammed As 'A Circus'

The ongoing legal drama between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni has negatively impacted "It Ends with Us" author Colleen Hoover.

The adult fiction writer is best known for the 2016 novel, which received a movie adaptation directed by Baldoni. The "Jane the Virgin" star also co-starred in the emotional film alongside Lively as the main characters Ryle Kincaid and Lily Bloom.

Colleen Hoover's book and its movie adaptation became a controversial topic after Blake Lively dropped scathing allegations against Justin Baldoni. Hoover initially sided with the actress; however, her stance has since changed.

Hoover sang a different tune compared to her initial support for Lively in a recently published interview. She had discussed the legal drama weeks ahead of her scheduled deposition in the case, revealing she wanted nothing more than to be free from Lively and Baldoni's battle.

Although she served as an executive producer for the movie, Hoover confessed that she was "completely unaware that anything was happening" on set because she only appeared for a few days of filming. She noted the alleged tales of misconduct were "unfortunate" and "disappointing," comparing the drama to "a circus."

"When there are real people involved, with real feelings and emotions. This actually truly has impacted some of the actors' careers in huge ways. And I just find it all around sad," Hoover told ELLE. She refused to pick sides, expressing her desire to be "removed from the negativity."

Hoover doubled down on her desire to be excluded from Lively and Baldoni's messy fight, choosing to ignore it rather than share her side of the story. She reiterated that she did not want to feed the drama by appearing to pick sides, saying:

"I feel like it's so big at this point that there's nothing anyone can say to change whatever opinion people have of it, even though no one has the actual truth. Not even me."

Hoover confessed that the legal drama had negatively impacted her relationship with the hit book, claiming she could no longer recommend it to others to read. She felt that the lawsuit had overshadowed the emotional story, making her "almost embarrassed" to be the author.

The negative impacts of Lively and Baldoni's legal battle continued, with Hoover confessing that the book no longer held the beauty it once did. "The book was inspired by her story, and now it gives us PTSD to think about it," she revealed.

Hoover felt apologetic towards her mother because the movie inspired by her story became entangled in a legal ordeal filled with scathing allegations. She suspected her mother experienced more pain due to Lively and Baldoni's differences by witnessing the "ugliness" of their battle.

However, Hoover hasn't lost all hope for her 2016 hit book. She noted that time could heal even the deepest scars, and someday, after Lively and Baldoni's legal warfare wraps up, she would be able to hold her head up high as the proud author of "It Ends With Us."

Before Hoover's new interview, The Blast reported that Baldoni had filed a motion for summary judgment on November 13. He asked for Lively's lawsuit against him to be dismissed, sharing a video of her alleged misconduct during filming.

In her lawsuit, Lively had accused Baldoni of unscripted touching and kissing during their scenes. He fired back with a similar allegation, dropping a video of a hospital scene where the actress had squeezed in an unscripted kiss.

Based on the allegedly improvised kiss, Baldoni's attorneys argued that Lively's lawsuit should be dismissed. They claimed that she was guilty of the same crime she had accused Baldoni of committing, while noting that his kisses were all scripted, unlike her accusations.

One of the crimes Lively accused Baldoni of was a smear campaign against her during promotions for "It Ends with Us." The Blast shared that newly unsealed court documents from July captured more allegations against Baldoni.

Lively argued that she suffered $161 million in damages due to Baldoni's alleged smear campaign. She claimed that she lost at least $56.2 million in past and future earnings from business ventures, including acting, producing, speaking engagements, and endorsements. 

Additionally, her beauty brand Blake Brown lost $49 million while her beverage company Betty Buzz/Betty Booze lost $22 million. Lively's attorneys explained that she lost the massive sum because Baldoni's smear campaign had ruined her image and reputation.

Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni are scheduled to face off in court in March 2026.